Cylindrical handlebar grips have been utilized on the ends of handlebars of bicycles and motorcycles (collectively “cycles”) for decades. These grips are typically made of a soft polymer that both improves a user's ability to grasp the handlebars of the cycle and cushions the hand against the effect of vibrations and small impacts as the cycle is ridden.
The use of handlebar grips has for many years presented a paradox. The grips are preferably made of anti-skid, relatively elastic and low durometer polymer such as rubber to enhance the graspability and cushioning effects. However, while such grips improve the user's ability to grasp them while on the handlebars, this same property makes it difficult to install the grips onto the handlebars of the cycle. That is, as these cylindrical grips are axially advanced over the ends of the handlebars, there is a high coefficient of friction between the polymer and the handlebars. One manner of dealing with this problem is to lubricate the inner surface of the grip with a volatile lubricant such as hair spray or water. A volatile lubricant is necessary because once the grip is installed on the handlebar, slippage between the grip and the handlebar must be avoided. Adhesives for adhering the grips to the handlebars are generally not acceptable because the grips, being of a low durometer material, wear with time and must be replaced. Use of an adhesive can make it prohibitively difficult to remove the grips. Once the grips are installed, even with the use of a volatile lubricant, they can be difficult to remove when replacement is necessary. Another problem with such conventional grips is that when the cycle is ridden in wet conditions, water can work its way between the inner diameter of the grips and the handlebars causing the grips to slip, thus creating a hazardous situation for the rider. A further problem with these conventional grips is that while the outer diameter of handlebars is generally uniform, there can be variances in the manufacturing tolerances of a tenth of a millimeter or more making it virtually impossible for some grips to adhere adequately to some handlebars or further increasing the difficulty of attaching some grips to some handlebars.
One grip assembly intended to address some of these problems is shown in Grätz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,879. Grätz teaches a cylindrical sleeve 1 having a lengthwise slot 3 extending the entire length of the sleeve. Grätz further teaches that a single end clamp 8 can adequately secure the grip. The lengthwise slot in the cylindrical liner allows the grip to accommodate slight variations in the outer diameter of various handlebars. However, it is believed that the lengthwise slot extending the entire length of the sleeve results in the sleeve being subject to torsional deformation or twisting when a torsional force or torque is applied to the grip by a user. Modifying the Grätz structure to provide a clamp at each end of the grip might eliminate the twisting of the grip, but would also increase costs.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.